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Could We See Khan or an Older Kirk in Star Trek Sequels?

by Alex Billington
May 17, 2009
Source: MTV

We're happy to report that as of this weekend, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek will have made at least a total of $116 million (in the US) at the box office, which means not only is it a huge success, but a sequel is definitely going to happen. I, for one, can't wait, because the new crew that Abrams introduced us to was fantastic, and all I wanted to see at the end was their next journey. So what of a sequel? We've been talking for the last few weeks primarily about Wolverine spin-offs and sequels, so let's finally turn our focus to Star Trek. Two of the most popular ideas involve the villain Khan and an old Captain Kirk, meaning William Shatner.

Abrams chatted with MTV recently, and while he's not necessarily confirmed for a sequel, writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orco are, so there are some good ideas out there. "The fun of this [new alternate Trek reality] is that the destiny of these characters is in their hands - it's not constrained by the pre-existing films or TV series," he says. "Believe me, whether it's William Shatner or Khan ... it would be ridiculous to not be open to those ideas." If you're a big Trek fan, now you may understand why it was a good idea to use an alternate reality storyline - almost everyone still exists, or can exist, and could appear at anytime.

So what of the infamous Star Trek II villain Kahn Noonien Singh, played originally by Ricardo Montalban? He's a fan favorite and we have heard Kurtzman and Orci say that they referenced that movie quite a bit. "It'll be fun to hear what Alex and Bob are thinking about Khan," Abrams teases. "The fun of this timeline is arguing that different stories, with the same characters, could be equally if not more compelling than what's been told before." So what he means exactly is that, "[Khan and Kirk] exist - and while their history may not be exactly as people are familiar with, I would argue that a person's character is what it is."

"I wouldn't rule out anything," Abrams hints in regards to the possible appearance of William Shatner in future sequels (we did just learn about how he was supposed to be in Star Trek last week anyway). "The point of creating this independent timeline is to not have the restrictions we had coming into this one. And one of those restrictions was that Kirk was dead." Of course, it's too early to get too far into this discussion, but because we're all still coming off of our Star Trek high, it's a great time to entertain every last possibility. So who do you want to see in a sequel? Or should they just introduce more new villains?

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coy lawrence

Just leave Shatner out he can't act and he's a massive cheeseball.
TigerClaw

Given that its set in an alternate timeline, Its possible to bring Khan in for the sequel. The question would be, Who would play Khan?
Black Dynamite

Gotta have Shatner in the sequel. Without Shatner there would be no Star Trek. Rather he can act or not is irrelivent. As a fan of the original series which I feel is the best of any of the Star Trek spin offs not having Shatner in JJ's version was a let down, but the film was still very good.
http://www.websbestcomics.com Scott

Some things need left alone. Can't they just write a new story for once? If not, I'd rather see Gary Mitchell or Harcourt Fenton Mudd, lot of unexplored potential in those characters. Regardless of the villain, here's hoping the sequel has more of a hard sci-fi theme, with something thought-provoking in the plot.
paul

javier bardem
D6

@paul : You know, that's actually pretty intresting idea.
kysersosai

I think they should look for original ideas that involve the new timeline and crew exploring space. We saw the dynamic being created btw Kirk and Spock but we haven't really seen alot from the others in the crew. There are so many "remixed" ideas that it seems originaliity is suffocated by people wanting to relive the past. Granted, Spock was extremely well written into this Star Trek, I still think it might be better to let the new crew have new adventures. The weakest part of Star Trek was the villian. It was a LEGENDARY revival movie I understand, but .. I dunno. Next I want to see real villians or real challenges that stretch strengths and weaknesses of the characters. I think that moves today really need solid Villains to challenge the Hero(s). IE The Dark Knight. Someone that can stand toe to toe and fight with brains and braun.
http://www.transformerslive.blogspot.com cat

please, no shatner.
DogChasingCars

Why not a TV series? The fun part of the original Trek series was having interesting space sci-fi adventures with a (relatively) stable status quo. Why limit this new Trek timeline to movie format? I'm waiting for an answer, Abrams! (@7: I know what you mean; Nero wasn't a scary villain. A good one, yes, and also an efficient one, but he came across as emotionally unstable.)
Al

hearing Pine yell KHANNNNN on the big screen would just make my life.
ya'is

no more timetravel stories anymore please no more shatner anymore please no more revival of old ideas abrams should use these fantasticly introduced characters to create something new. he created a new timeline (which i don't appreciate) and now he has to work with it. so why don't trying something new. and he has to put energy in the development of the characters, like he already did. (sorry for bad english)
harrison

no shatner, i think not having him in this is what made the movie so good for me, i loved it and plan on seeing it atleast once more. javier bardem would make a good younger looking khan, but theres so much more they could do
http://movies.iconocritic.com/ peloquin

If they bring back Shatner that will kill this for me...please no
NICHOLAS

My dad and I went to the show and we enjoyed it very much, I can't wait for the seqyril I hope maybe to see captain Kirk ,His elder self trying to rescue Spock from the past.
James

They should just go straight for Tribbles for the sequel.
http://entertainmenttodayandbeyond.com entertainmenttodayandbeyond.com

Odds of bringing Shatner back? 75% yes. It will create even more boxoffice! chuck
Timothy

@5 They should make Bardem a villain whether they want to have a Khan story or not, that guy is so creepy.
Victor

MY SON AND I went to the movie and we enjoyed very much , I"ve been a star trek fan ever since I was a kid . And I enjoyed very much . I have read some of the comments about willam Shatner and I beleave that some of these people are right and some are wrong, I think The new cast should meet the old in a matter of speaking ,A nd with younger Kirk meeting his elder self would be perfect
Barry

1,8,11-13. I know Shatner has been less than graceful at times but he IS KIRK, Chris Pine has filled his boots admirably but Shatners Ghost will flit around this franchise unless he is given at least one more spot to appease his fans, number one of which being himself. A simple solution would be Shatner as a bitter Kirk coming back as the Villain in search of the Klingon that Killed his son and having the Pine Kirk off him for the good of the Federation and whatever treaties would be safe guarded with his death.
Ryan

I doubt Kirk will appear. He didn't appear in the first one for a reason. Mainly because he talks way TOOOOOO slow and cant act worth of shit.
Johnathan

I do think that if the older Kirk is still alive in this alternate timeline then he would do anything to travel back through time to save his oldest friend (he knows the time and place where the older Spock appeared and he could even be the one to save Spock's mother from her death on Vulcan). He stole the Enterprise to save Spocks soal in the third movie so why not travel through time to save him now in this new reality. He could transport her to his ship as she falls hence the younger Spock still believing that she has died, still being emotionally unstable to comand the Enterprise so has not to change the outcome of the first film (as no one actually saw her die) the old Kirk could then beem down as the old and young Spock meet (as in the first film) which would cement the foundations for the friendship and trust of Kirk and Spock to the younger Spock. I also think that this would be a good way to incorporate William Shatner as Kirk into this new trekline. On a final note hasn't Shatner won a couple of television awards recently for his acting, so stop knocking the guy after all he is the man behind the iconic character.
Spider

Shatner is essential to the "Star Trek" universe! Whether he's a cheese ball or can't act, he IS the original Captain Kirk! I say give the other original crew members a cameo too! This would be freakin' awesome!
flipdwun

you know, i remeber them trying to bring shatner into a star trek movie once. a little piece of not for profit film called "star trek: generations." i say not for profit because i dont think anyone paid to see it after the first week. that movie proved to me it was time to reboot, not relive. so we got the reboot, please, i beg you, spock was enough! do not bring a good thing down by going to the well too many times!!!!!!
cinemabandit

Just spitballing, but imagine if you will a scenario where Kirk, as a consequence of his mindmeld with Spock Prime, has some foreknowledge of the consequences of his actions. Would he change his actions towards Khan? or the Klingons?
Ajax

I really don't want them re-making Wrath of Khan; that movie rocked! Plus, this ST film was imo too much like that film, so in a sense it has already been remade.
Lazarus

Javier Bardem....as Khan? I think I smell Oscar for a sci-fi movie once and for all...This would make the Trek sequel epic and gangbusters....Plus adding Shatner takes nothing away from the new cast. In fact it will reinforce it from a script wise aspect the alternate universe...One way to do it cleanly and within the Trek lore is the infamous.... " Q " factor. If this is where Orci & Kurtzman are going, Abrams only has to direct well and with surgical artistry, what could be the greatest sequel in movies...since T2.
Gary M

why would shatner be in the second one? kirk didnt time travel in the new one...so how would he be there? yes the writers could somehow add him in, but adding him would most likely cause plotholes and i rather see that time spent writing shatner in used on more valuable things
Last Son

Since the first film used time travel, let's stick with that because Hollywood has a hard time comin' up with new ideas anyway! They could have Capt. Picard come back from the 24th Century to take revenge on the original crew for overtaking the Star trek franchise and for making a really good film that everyone can enjoy and not just little bitches that want all the science and not the cool action and comedy for which the original films where like. They can call it STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF PICARD
Voice of Reason

guys guys guys....seriously now..... Khan-Shman, BRING ON the KLINGON!!!! lets get down to brass tacks and establish some serious long standing hatred towards Star Fleet.
dave13

shatner should stay out of it. Leonard Nimoy was actually kinda awkward, and wasn't very Vulcan in this movie (more human than Vulcan). also, can we get good screenwriters? that know a well written plot from a "oooh shiny" script? I enjoyed the first movie, but it wasn't Star Trek. Star Trek deserves a better story, thats not just out to make money.
cinemabandit

Dave13 I also felt that Nimoy' Spock was more human than Vulcan than we have seen, but I put that down to the fact that because Vulcan was destroyed, the younger Spock embraced his Human side more, as it gave the scriptwriters licence to develop the character along those lines.
Darren

How about having the Enterprise encounter a rift in space/time? The entire older aged crew could run into the entire younger aged crew. Any ideas to further this type of scenario? Please feel free to say if this doesn't sound like a good idea, but please do not flame me. lol. I am just doing brainstorming about possible story lines.
m4st4

javier bardem!!! Great idea for Khan! Haircut from No Country? Check! XDDDD
V

If they want to bring back Khan for the Star Trek XII, then, they should NOT remake The Wrath of Khan. It would be very interesting if they remade SPACE SEED, the episode of The Original Series in which Khan makes his first appearance. Space Seed was a good episode for the series, but it never had the budget to achieve everything it wanted to do. You could take Space Seed, remake it, turn it into a big movie and have that movie link directly with The Wrath of Khan. That way, you can have Khan back, re-tell his "origin" story, not violate cannon and not step over what is widely considered to be the best Star Trek movie ever made. TWoK has some of the best acting of the "original" Star Trek cast and an amazing performance from Ricardo Montalban. Why step over that? Sure, I would love to see TWoK re-told with today's tech, but I'd never want to see other actors re-tell that story. Here's an idea for Paramount, re-make Space Seed into a big-budget movie and then, clean up and restore TWoK and re-release in theatres. Just my 2 cents.
wetworks

V (34), exactly what I was thinking! The best of both worlds.
FuckTrekkies

For God sake, leave Shatner out of it. Let's see a new story. Pine was a better Kirk anyway for this generation.
N.

SHATNER SUCKS they can't bring him back the new star trek movies are best without him.
RStewie

It's beyond me how they would bring in Khan rationally. He's a part of the OLD Star Trek, and I'm assuming, from the fresh start they're doing, that it's more likely that this crew will NOT encounter him. I am more excited to see this new, alternate universe Star Trek crew grow. The characters are ALREADY changed from their original selves, and I really want to see some original storylines exploring that. Kirk didn't have a dad. Spock lost his planet AND his mom, AND he's got an older version of himself running around in his time. Urhura and Spock are an item; there's no Nurse Chapel. What I loved most about the movie is that the characters are still the same essential characters, BUT with some major differences, BECAUSE of the alternate universe. New stories exploring this concept would be exciting and interesting to me, NOT bringing back Khan, or even Capt. Kirk, as much as I love Shatner as that character.
S

I'd be fine with a Shatner cameo but as a character other than Kirk. I love his character in Boston Legal and I'd love to see some mad genius part for him to play. But I agree with not bringing him back as Kirk and having anymore timetravel. #34, I love the idea of reworking the origin of Khan.
John C

I'm surprised no one has brought up the idea of a "mirror universe" movie. It was done in TOS, DS9, and ENT. It has also been done in TNG books. Imagine what an alternate/mirror universe would look like. The possibilities are endless! The mirror Enterprise could have Klingon crewman and maybe even Augments serving aboard the ship. Spock (new) could even come across his "mirror-universe" mother and bring her back to his universe. Maybe throw the Borg in there to add a little action. This would be accomplished by the Enterprise examining the wormhole created when Vulcan was destroyed and being pulled in this universe. When the Enterprise returns to it's own universe the planet Vulcan gets pulled along with them and thus Vulcan is back! Albeit, a mirror universe Vulcan, but Vulcan nonetheless. Or....could be accomplished via a transporter malfunction.
Drew

Please NOOOOOOO! Doing the alternate timeline worked in this movie, but just barely. Having old Spock (Nimoy) was fine and all but the final scene between the two Spocks was just unnecessary. I am totally on board with this new cast and I am a Trek fan. So PLEASE just show us the next adventure with this stellar new cast and leave the original cast out of it. It would get pretty lame if the next movie or two involved time-travel again. They don't need it. They have box-office gold here and the potential for a even better film next time ala Empire Strikes Back, X-Men 2, The Dark Knight.
max

They have to leave Khan, Time travel, and any previous trek plots alone for next movie for sure.Ive been a fan for 40 years but now that we have a new crew, ship, and history we need a new story for it all to work. To be honest ,the Klingons have been more of a punch line in recent Trek history.I'd like to see them redone in a more universally threatening light, more like the Empire in star Wars. Star Trek history has mentioned the war between the Earth and the Klingons but we've never seen it or been witness to the true Evil that the Klingons were supposed to be caple of. With all the politacally correctness of "The Next Generation" Klingons just ended up being misunderstood, moody aliens with anger management issues. I say lets bring back the good ol'days when Klingons were supposed to be evil for evils sake. Fix their make up too .No Turtle heads please.
Steve

I think the writer/producers made the right decision on the voice over part by Shatner. That just wouldn't work. You have to actually see the person, I think, to get the right effect. If you listen to the dialogue between "The Older Spock" and the "Young Kirk" you sort of pick-up why Shatner was REALLY not in the movie......Remember when the Older Spock says to the Younger Kirk, ( I'm paraphrasing) It's nice to see you again as your svelte self.....Something like that. Hmmm Shatner is just too overweight to put on screen as the icon KIRK.....Let's face it, Nimoy and Shatner are the same age, but Nimoy hasn't gained almost a hundred pounds.....If Shatner goes back to a respectable weight, I think the writer/producers can write him back in. Boy, I've got a couple of great ones that would tie-up all the loose ends if that would happen......Stay tuned...
David Banner

Total as of May. 17: Domestic: $147,645,384 68.5% + Foreign: $67,746,148 31.5% = Worldwide: $215,391,532
flamer

PRICE LINE NEGOTIATOR!
Jamie

Whatever they do, PLEASE no Borg. No more time travel. There were so many great aliens on TOS. They could explore the Andorians like they should have in the Enterprise series.
Josh

Antonio Banderas as Khan!!
Francisco

Mario Casas as Khan Noonien Singh
Original Stories...

Screw Remakes!!! If you want to see old episodes, then watch them on DVD... New Timeline, new stories... PERIOD... Some people just don't have any immagination or original thoughts... One Word... Klingons! Show why the Klingons don't like Kirk and make it serious... Anything else would be stupid and put the first coffin nails in the new franchise...